Diaries of a former Le Cordon Bleu Paris Student.

September 11, 2007

Parmesan Polenta, Spicy Sausage & Broccoli Rabe

Fall weather has finally come upon us in New England. I love summer as much as the next person, but the hot, humid, and unpredictable summers that seem to inhabit Boston aren't my favorite. Last Saturday, it was a sweltering and humid 95 degrees, then plummeted to 70 degrees the next day. Hence, the thought of autumn and its graceful cooling breezes makes me happy.

I managed to yank myself out of bed for a haircutting appointment, only to look out the window of the salon and see that it was now pouring. Hooray! I actually love the first rainy day. The pitter-patter on the roof, the calming effect it has on nature.

And what of rainy day activities? Jump right back into bed. I'm curled up with a copy of Julia Child's The Way to Cook, researching recipes for a class I'm teaching right now called "The Flavors of France." Some people snuggle up with a movie and a bowl of popcorn, I dive under the covers and devour cookbooks.

I already had fall weather on the brain last night when cooking dinner. It was finally cool enough to turn the oven back on, so I made some comforting Polenta with Parmesan Cheese- so easy to do. Why stand and stir at the stove, dodging spitting lumps of hot cornmeal, when you can leave it in the oven and let it cook by itself?

Top it with Spicy Sausage and Broccoli Rabe and it's comfort in a bowl. Creamy polenta, sharp Parmesan, bitter broccoli rabe, rich and spicy sausage- and it only took about 15 minutes of active cooking time. In fact, you can curl up in bed while the polenta is cooking and listen to the rain falling gently around you.

Polenta with Parmesan CheeseAdapted from a Sara Moulton recipeServes 4

Use any combination of chicken stock or water you want, and use less water initially if you like your polenta stiffer, as this polenta will not set into a cake. The milk and butter used at the end is best at room temperature, so leave it out while polenta is baking. Remember to season carefully if you are using salted chicken broth.

In a 1.5 quart baking dish, mix together cornmeal, water or stock, 2 Tablespoons butter, and salt. Place, uncovered, in the oven, for 40 minutes. Remove from oven, stir with a fork to break up any lumps, and place back in the oven for 10 minutes.

If you cannot find spicy sausage, substitute Sweet Italian Sausage and add 1/4 teaspoon of red pepper flakes. There will be a little pool of sauce, tasty as it soaks into the polenta. This is also great tossed with pasta.

2 Comments

This is exactly the kind of food I love! I read your posts often and I'm one of those on-the-periphery cooks that haven't attended culinary school and have considered it far past the point of it being a viable option (another way of saying I'm too old) and so I now just consider it and drool over the possibilities... I'll have to try this one!